The Neutral Corner: 3 Tips For the Novice Boxer

To build off my last post; Tips For Hitting the Heavy Bag. I decided to delve deeper into some basic tips for the beginner boxer. If you’re new to boxing these tips will keep you in good form and help you build a solid foundation when learning some of the more technical aspects of the sport.

Stance/Guard. When shadow boxing focus on maintaining a solid boxing stance or guard. Keep your body as “skinny” as possible. What I mean by “skinny” is keep your lead shoulder in front. This helps you expose as little of your torso as possible. Doing this will also keep your weight distribution balanced and put you in the correct position to throw proper punches. Also, keep your hands up, the gloves should be held high on the chin/cheek bone area.

Perfect the jab. The jab is the starting block for developing sound technical boxing ability. Use your back leg to step into your punches. Always keep your feet outside of your hips and use your legs to power your shots.

Body mechanics. Punching is a total body movement, if you focus on only using your arms your punches will be less effective and you will tire much quicker. Step into your jab, turn your hips and pivot your foot on your straight right or left for the southpaw, twist and turn the opposite hip on the hooks. These small movements will increase your power and output dramatically.

Focus on these three small tips when shadow boxing or hitting the heavy bag and you’ll be well on your way to honing your skills. Go be great!

About the Author:

Jeff Hunter.
Passion for fitness and results based training is what drives Jeff to share his knowledge with the world. With over 6 years of experience as a personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach, Jeff brings a wide range of practical know-how from his experience with the general population and also elite athletes. Jeff is certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is also a USAW and USA boxing coach. You can find him training out of the Everlast Lab in Hoboken, NJ.